Package For Dad
by Tessa E Harrison
Summary: A story in which a package arrives for Oishi, twenty or so years after the series.
1. Chapter 1

**Package for Dad  
**Note: I claim no ownership.

* * *

Oishi Kazuma looked at the package that had been sent to his home. It was addressed to his late father. Both names on the return address were unfamiliar. Even the address was unfamiliar. It took him a few minutes to realize that it was a German address. Which made him wonder just who his father knew in Germany.

Against his better judgment, Kazuma opened it up. If it turned out to be something important, then he could always give the package to his mother. If it wasn't something important, then he could just have it returned to the sender or throw it away.

On top was a letter. The hand that wrote it was a little sloppy, but the writing was still eligible.

_Syuichiroh,  
__It's been several years old friend. At least twenty, if not more, since any one of us has heard from you. Please, it's not too late.  
__Kunitmitsu and I are fine. Kunimitsu's shoulder has made a full recovery. He's now a teacher and a coach at the high school that's about a mile away. The team this year has a chance at making it to the Nationals. Just like we did. As for me, well, I've found that most of my time is spent on my artwork.  
__Sadaharu won a Nobel Prize, as I am sure you've heard. Who knew all those juices he experimented with would end up being useful for something other than spreading fear to the team? Oh, as for Kaidoh, he turned pro just a few years after Echizen. Both are retired now, though, but not after winning several titles.  
__Momo ended up marrying Tachibana's sister, An. They have three kids, all girls. I've enclosed a picture of them, just so you can see them. The oldest is Mitsuko, the middle one is Takako, and the youngest is Fujiko. I have to wonder about those names. Taka's married too. He runs Kawamura Sushi still and has a son, Daisuke.  
__I was going through some things in my attic though and I found these things. Syuichiroh, please, don't throw them away. If it hurts too much, just stick them in your attic or send them back or give them to Taka. He said he'd take these things off of your hands.  
__You know what's here, Syuichiroh. Don't throw it away. Please, look through it, if just for him._

_Your friend,  
__Fuji Syuusuke_

Kazuma set the letter down beside the box. This box was from someone his father had known and whatever was in it, it was important.

Kazuma noticed that on top was a photo album. He opened it up and saw the picture that Fuji Syuusuke had been talking about of this Momo person's daughters. He recognized the middle daughter as his friend, Momoshiro Takako. He also knew the other two girls since he was a friend of Takako. He'd never met her parents though.

Kazuma looked through the album. He found pictures of people he didn't know in what looked to be a foreign country. He also found a few pictures of tennis stars, or rather former tennis stars, Echizen Ryoma and Kaidoh Kaoru, as well as Nobel Prize winner, Inui Sadaharu. Towards the back were newspaper clippings, talking about his school's tennis team. Apparently, the team had made it to Nationals about the time his father had been his age.

There was another album underneath the first and when Kazuma opened it up, he found another letter, this one from Fuji Syuusuke as well.

_Syuichiroh,  
__It took me several years to put this album together. This is the album you need to look at. It will be painful, I know, but you need this. Don't destroy the pictures or letters. Just, give them to Taka or send them back to me. He meant a lot to all of us, most of all you, Syuichiroh. Don't ruin the last things we have left of him.  
__Syuusuke_

Kazuma felt that he was almost trespassing now. He had to wonder just who this mysterious person that Fuji Syuusuke spoke of was though and how the guy related to his father. The next page in the album held a note, written in what appeared to be a hurried fashion by someone with less than neat handwriting.

_Dear Oishi,  
__Nya! Guess what, Ochibi's got a girlfriend! It's Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter, Sakuno-chan. Nya, our lil Ochibi is growing up. And I think Syuusuke's molesting Buchou.  
__Today's boring though because Syuusuke decided to go over to St. Rudolph's. I think he's molesting Yuuta-kun. Nya, I wonder what that would be called. Fujicest maybe?  
__Hoi, have you heard Buchou's new nickname? Syuusuke told me last night. Buchou's new nickname is Kuniko-chan. I think its funny, nya, but don't tell Buchou. I don't wanna run laps! I have to run way too many as it is.  
__I wonder how many laps I'll have to run. I mean I did miss this morning's practice. Don't tell me it was horrible, nya!  
__Oppsies, I have to finish this now. I'll see you soon, Oishi!  
__Nya!_

Kazuma turned the page and found another note.

_Dear Oishii,  
__Are you jealous, nya? Why, because Syuusuke and me have started calling Buchou by his new nickname? But Oishii, it's funny! Besides, hoi, when was the last time you saw Buchou actually react to something? Should I come up with a nickname for you, nya? We can't have Seigaku's Golden Pair falling apart after all. That just wouldn't do.  
__Oh, nya, you might want to watch out. Syuusuke says that the mean juice man has not one, but TWO, new juices! Nya, we're all going to die! I think that there's a conspiracy to kill me, nya! Buchou is trying to wear me down to nothing and Inui-kun keeps trying to poison us.  
__SAVE ME FROM THE JUICES!_

After reading the last line, Kazuma couldn't help but smile. It did raise a question in his head though. Just who was this "Golden Pair" and what did it have to do with his father? He turned the page and saw another note.

_Oishii,  
__Tsubame's sick and I'm worried about her, hoi. She's been throwing up a lot. Nya, maybe you should come over for dinner tonight. Even if my nee-chan is sick, it'll still be better than eating at home alone, nya. You could even spend the night and help me with my homework.  
__And that will give me more time to think up a nickname for Oishii. Hey, nya, maybe Oishii can give me a nickname too! I mean, I've never had a real nickname before we got dubbed the Golden Pair. Even now I don't really have a nickname, nya. I'm just "the Golden Pair's acrobatic player."  
__Oh, and don't worry about Momo-chan. He called me last night and said that his tummy just felt weird thanks to that nasty new drink that the evil drink guy, aka Sada-kun because his name is **way** too long, invented. Nya, Oishii, I really think he's trying to kill us with those things. I mean, even Syuusuke is starting to get affected by them. And nothing ever gets Syuusuke. Nya, the guy eats wasabi rolls! Who eats wasabi rolls?  
__Hmm, maybe Syuusuke is an alien. It sure would explain a lot, wouldn't it, nya? I mean, how else can Syuusuke actually enjoy Sada-kun's drinks? And it would explain how Syuusuke can see with his eyes closed. How does he do that, nya? It's kinda creepy.  
__See you at practice!_

Kazuma had another small smile on his face. Whoever this person was, they had a sense of humor. Not to mention, the guy seemed to use a lot of little speech mannerisms in his writing. Turning the page, he found one more note to his father.

_Oishii!  
__Stop calling me Eijiko! It's bad enough that Tsubame and Kagura call me that at home. I don't need everyone on the tennis team calling me that too, nya. Anyways, I think I'll just stick with calling Oishi Oishii. A couple of Oishii's fan girls asked me how I would know that Oishii was Oishii. It was really funny, nya, but Syuusuke kept making all these hentai comments. I think Syuusuke might be a pervert. He does molest poor Yuuta-kun and I think he's molesting Kuniko-chan.  
__NYA! I hope he doesn't do anything to me! Syuusuke may be my best friend, after you of course Oishii, but that doesn't mean that I don't think that he's kinda crazy. I'm sticking with my Syuusuke might be an alien theory.  
__Ugh, nya, Ryuzaki-sensei's sending me to Ochibi's room. Nya, Oishii, have you ever realized that Ochibi is kinda a little Kuniko-chan?  
__P.S. Let's meet at the usual spot._

Kazuma was puzzled at that last line. Usual spot, what did that mean? At least he had a name, or at least a nickname, for the writer. Eijiko. And this Eijiko had called his father Tasty. Not to mention that his father had fan girls. How did his father have fan girls, Kazuma wondered. His father had been a quiet, peaceful man who rarely smiled and didn't really care what Kazuma or his mother did. His father seemed to have lived in his own little world.

There was one last note. Kazuma read it.

_Syuichiroh Oishii,  
__You have a really long name, nya. Guess what, Syuusuke admitted to me that he is molesting Buchou. Think we should save Kuniko-chan? Nya, it's just so funny to watch them though.  
__Oh, hoi, that's right. The A-Un pair, isn't that such a good name for Ochibi and Momo-chan, challenged us. As much as I love them, I really want to beat them. After all, we have to show everyone why Oishii and me are the Golden Pair. Besides, nya, Momo-chan said that if we beat him and Ochibi, he'd buy burgers.  
__I know Oishii likes to eat healthy but, nya, it'll be free food! We can burn off all the bad stuff at practice. I mean, look at Momo-chan. He eats burgers all the time, nya, but he still stays so thin. Not that I'm looking, nya. Momo-chan's like my lil brother. That I don't have.  
__And my name's not Eijiko!_

Kazuma turned the page and found pictures. Pictures of his father and a redheaded boy. Having fun, laughing, even a few of them fighting.

Just then he heard the front door open. "Hey, mom," he called. A few minutes later, Oishi Yuki entered the room. "This package came for dad from some guys he used to know."

She looked down to the album that Kazuma had open, and to the picture. "Return it," was all she had to say. "I don't want to see that stuff and Syuichiroh's dead."

Kazuma nodded. "Yes, mom."


	2. Chapter 2

**Package for Dad**

Note: I had hoped to have this done and out yesterday but things have not been good for me lately. My uncle was just sent to Iraq a week ago. Then, the other night, I received the worst phone call of my life. This guy, Mike, and I have had an on-again/off-again relationship for the last year and a half, even though he's been engaged for these three months. Yes, I am a little home-wrecker. But anyways, he's also being sent to Iraq. His unit will be stationed in downtown Baghdad. That's why this chapter was late. I claim no ownership.

* * *

Kazuma sighed, shifting the box he held so that he could knock on the door. He had no idea where Kawamura's Sushi was and it was too expensive for him to send the box back to Germany. He did, however, know Momoshiro Takako, the daughter of a guy his own father had known. Of course, Kazuma had never known this. It seemed that his father, Oishi Syuichiroh, had been full of secrets.

"Yes? Who are you?" A man that had to be Takako's father asked. Kazuma wasn't sure since he had never met her parents.

"Are you; are you Takako-chan's father?" He replied hesitantly.

"Yeah. Wait a minute; don't tell me that you're the guy she's been hanging out with lately!" The tall man thought aloud.

Kazuma shook his head. "No sir. I, I have something I need to give you. May I, may I come in?" The young Oishi still held a bit of hesitation in his voice.

"Oh. Well then, come in; come in," Momo told the boy, standing aside to allow him to come in. As the kid was taking off his shoes, Momo noticed the box he had with him and who it was for.

"Woah, don't tell me you're Oishi-senpai's kid," the former tennis player practically exclaimed. The kid nodded.

"My mother and I received this package today. She told me to get rid of it," the boy replied truthfully as the older man lead him to the family room.

"And why didn't you give it your father?" Momo questioned, his curiosity taking over.

"Momoshiro-sama, my father has been dead for almost three years," the kid answered. Momo's eyes widened as he sucked in air.

"Oh, wow. I didn't know. None of us knew." Things were quiet for a few moments. "Listen kid, I'm sorry. If I had known, I would have told Fuji-senpai."

"Kazu-kun!" A female voice shrieked. It was Takako.

"Takako, could you leave us alone? We were discussing something important," Momo told his daughter. She pouted but complied. Momo turned back to Kazuma. "I never did ask for your name," the man said with a laugh.

"Oishi Kazuma," the boy replied.

"Cool. I hope you don't mind, but is it okay if I call you Kazuma?" Momo asked, a sheepish look on his face.

"Sure. Oishi-san was my father after all," the boy answered. He leaned forward. "So, you really knew my father? What was he like?"

Momo's face looked kind of shocked at the question. "What do you mean, what was he like? Oishi-senpai was always to caring and protective of us, kinda like a mother hen." Momo laughed for a moment. "Yeah, he was even called the mother of Seigaku."

"My father was like that?" Kazuma replied, surprised.

"Yeah. You mean he wasn't like that to you and your mom?" Momo answered, equally surprised.

"My father seemed to pretty much careless about my mother and me," Kazuma told the man. "Who is the guy that wrote these notes?" The boy pulled out an album and pointed to a note. Momo sucked in air again, surprised.

"Eiji-senpai."

The name seemed to hang in the air.

"Who is he? Why does it seem like he's so important?" Kazuma demanded. "Why does it feel like everything hinges around him? Where can I find him? I feel like I need to speak to him."

"Can I take you somewhere? I can't explain this to you alone," Momo finally replied after several minutes of silence.

"Yes sir," Oishi's son answered politely, reminding Momo of his senpai. The two left and walked several blocks until they arrived in front of a small restaurant. A sign on the front read: Kawamura Sushi.

"Hey, Momo, what'll it be?" A large man from behind the counter asked as they entered. Kazuma followed his friend's father and sat down beside him at the counter.

"Kazuma, that's Taka," Momo said, rattling off his order at the same time. "Taka, meet Oishi-senpai's son, Kazuma," Momo added. The look on the other man's face was funny looking, and not in a good way.

"Anything you want, on the house," Taka told Kazuma. The boy's stomach growled, so he ordered the first thing that came to mind.

The man, Taka, gave a small smile. "Just like Syuichiroh," he murmured.

"Huh? Did you say something, sir?" The boy asked, setting the box down on the stool next to him. Taka shook his head. A few minutes later, their orders were set down in front of them. After several minutes, Kazuma turned to Momo. "So, who is this Eiji-senpai person?"

Taka and Momo exchanged looks for half a second before Momo took the lead. After all, he had known Eiji better. It was just; it was hard to talk about what had happened.

"He was Oishi-senpai's doubles partner," Momo began.

"Doubles? In what?" Kazuma asked, confused.

"Well, tennis, of course," Momo answered.

"What are you talking about? My father hated tennis. He avoided the court near our house at all costs," the boy informed the two former Seigaku starters. "When I asked if I could learn, he forbad it."

"The Syuichiroh we knew loved tennis," Taka began. "He was our Vice-Captain and one half of the Golden Pair."

"Yeah, just who is this 'Golden Pair' anyways?" Kazuma interrupted.

Momo smiled, taking over. "The Golden Pair was a nickname given to Seigaku's number one doubles, Oishi Syuichiroh and Kikumaru Eiji."

"I still haven't been told just who this Eiji person is," the son of Oishi Syuichiroh added. "I take it that he was friends with my dad. I mean, there's all these pictures of them in there." The boy was pointing towards the box that sat on is other side.

"You couldn't find one without the other. Those two were together all the time and their names were always linked. Heck, their names are still linked in my mind," Momo informed him.

"The person you're describing sounds nothing like my dad. Something happened, didn't it? Something made him change and I'm sure that it had something to do with this Eiji person. Where does his live? I have a lot of questions for him," Kazuma told the two men.

Momo stopped for a moment and then asked to see the box. Kazuma handed it over and watched curiously as the man rummaged through it, looking for something. He finally pulled out the album with all the pictures of his father and Eiji. On the cover, Kazuma noticed the words _Golden Memories_ on the front. Momo looked through it until he finally found whatever he was looking for.

"Here. This is Eiji as he's been for the last twenty-some years," Momo told the boy, handing him the photo album.

Kazuma found himself looking at a picture of a gravestone. But it wasn't the first time he had seen this particular gravestone. No, he had just seen it the last time he went to visit his father's grave. He'd noticed it because had been kept nice and decorated over the years. He'd also noticed the date of death had been the same day as his father's, just so many years apart. Still, when he saw this picture, he was surprised and let out a little gasp.

"What is it?" Both men asked their friend's son.

"I've seen this grave before. It's the one next to my father's," he told them, watching their eyes open wide.

"No way," Momo finally let out. "You mean that we've been walking right past Oishi-senpai's grave for these past three years and didn't know it?"

Taka looked at the clock. "It's almost closing time now. Do you want to head over to the cemetery?"

Momo nodded and Kazuma just went along with the two men, hoping to get more information out of the two. So, Taka closed his shop and changed into more street-worthy clothes. Then, the three headed out. They took the subway this time because the cemetery was more than just a quick walk, it being towards the edge of town and all. When they got there, Kazuma lead the way since he had been there last and knew his way around the place better than the two men.

At the two graves location, Kazuma went over to his father's first, to unload a little of what he had just so recently learned. He heard the sounds of the two men with him settling down to speak to their friend. After Kazuma was done, he went over to the other grave and sat down in front to speak to this person who had been so important to his father. He used his finger to trace the name engraved in the headstone, reading the inscription.

"Son, brother, friend, lover," he read. Underneath that, there was more. "Gold doesn't shatter."

"The bond lasts forever," Momo and Taka finished. Kazuma's eyes widened. Those words were on his father's stone. He looked over at the stone and realized it looked almost identical to that of Kikumaru Eiji's.

"The lover part on dad's gravestone, it's not talking about my mom, is it?" Kazuma asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It could be, at least partially," Taka answered. "But, Eiji and Syuichiroh were partners for more than just doubles."

"So, you're saying that my dad was gay," Kazuma stated. "You guys are nuts. Look, the guy you knew, that was someone else. That guy wasn't my dad. My dad was a quiet, straight man who could careless about his family. He was always off on business trips or messing with his fish."

With that, Kazuma ran off. Momo followed him, leaving Taka all alone. The man looked down at the grave in front of him and then over to the grave beside it.

"Syuichiroh, did you really change so much?" He asked, his voice quiet. "We all knew Eiji's death affected you, but we didn't know just how much. I am sorry, sorry that we never noticed, sorry that we thought you had gotten over him. If only we had noticed before you had passed on, maybe we could have helped you. I am sorry, Syuichiroh."

Taka stood up and left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Package for Dad**

Note: The final chapter in this story. I hope you guys have enjoyed it. Oh, and as for the message, well, it's up to you to decide just who left it. I claim no ownership.

* * *

Kazuma sighed as he sat down at his desk. It was a few days later, after all that had happened with that box for his father. He had yet to see or talk to Takako and Kazuma wasn't sure if he wanted to have anything to do with her anymore. Because if he hung around with her, it would lead back to her father, and then, to his own father.

Kazuma knew his father wasn't gay. It just didn't make sense. His dad had married and had him, after all. Gay men didn't marry women and have children with them. It went against the whole point of being gay.

Maybe, just maybe, his father had a little fling with that Eiji guy. But didn't that just prove even more that his dad had been straight? If his father had been gay, wouldn't he have just gone on and hooked up with a different gay guy?

But then, why had his mother acted so oddly when he'd shown her the box and who it was from? Why had she ordered him to get rid of it? Was there something that she knew that he didn't? Was it something she didn't want him to know?

Kazuma gave another sigh, placing his head in his hands. Everything was so confusing and he still had something else he wanted to check out. He wanted to check with the tennis team and their coach. Maybe Ryuzaki-sensei would have something to help clear all of his questions.

It was a little while later, after school had ended of course, and Kazuma was headed to the tennis courts. He could see the team hard at work, running laps. Nearby, he noted a small group of people gathered, watching the players.

"Umm, Ryuzaki-sensei, may I speak to you for a few moments?" Kazuma requested, so focused on her that he didn't notice just who was with her.

"Who is this kid? He looks familiar," one of the guys standing with her asked, his voice bored. Kazuma looked and his eyes widened.

"Oh, this is-" Ryuzaki-sensei was cut off as a loud voice yelled out, "KAZU-KUN!"

"Oof," he let out as he felt someone, a friend of his who happened to be a girl, jump on his back.

"Oh, hi Uncle Ryoma. What brings you here?" Momoshiro Takako asked, noticing the man. Before he could answer, she turned her attention back to Kazuma. "Kazu-kun, why have you been avoiding me? Did my pops threaten you or something? And what did you want to talk to that baka about anyways?"

Kazuma opened his mouth to answer. She didn't let him though. "Oh yeah, Kazu-kun, this is my godfather, Ryoma. Uncle Ryoma, this is my friend Kazuma."

"Ryuzaki-sensei, may I dismiss the team for today? It's getting late;" Kazuma recognized the boy who had spoken as Hayashida, a classmate of his who was also the captain of the tennis team.

"Ye-yes," she stammered, moving her bangs out of her face. Kazuma frowned. Sure, his teacher was a little shy but today she was really shy.

"Is something wrong, Ryuzaki-sensei?" He asked, his face showing all his innocence.

"Now I know who you remind me of. Oishi-senpai," he heard Ryoma mutter. Kazuma's eyes widened.

"Hmm, that's the guy who was your tennis team when you were a first year, wasn't he?" Takako asked from her spot on Kazuma's back. "Wasn't he your vice-captain?"

Ryoma cocked his head to the side, which Takako knew indicated as a yes.

"Hey, Kazu-kun, is he any relation to you? I mean, you have the same family name and all," Takako questioned.

"Takako-chan, you're heavy," he replied, not wanting to answer her question.

"What is your name?" Ryoma asked.

"Oishi Kazuma," the boy answered. "Listen, if this is about my dad, I don't want to know, got that? Good. Takako-chan, will you get off of me? I have to go now."

The girl frowned but did as was requested. "Bye Kazu-kun," she told him. He just nodded, heading to his home.

When Kazuma arrived, his mother was gone, off at work like always. Really, he thought, she was a work-a-holic. She spent so much time working and barely any time at home. And, he ranted in his head; it wasn't like she needed to work or anything. His dad had left them more than enough money.

He sighed, setting his bag down on the floor next to his shoes. Kazuma flicked his bangs out of his face and shuffled into the apartment. As he passed the telephone, he noticed that there were three new messages. He listened to them, the first being from a telemarketer, the second being from his mother saying that she wouldn't be coming home. It was the last message that really gained his attention though.

"Kazuma, it's me." Kazuma, who had been getting out his homework, stopped. "Yuki asked me to speak to you about some recent events." There was a sigh. "Syuichiroh was injured in a car accident. In that same car accident, his best friend died. Syuichiroh, he had it tough for a long time Kazuma. His best friend was gone, he was injured, and he could never play tennis again. Not to mention, Kazuma, you do need to hear this, his boyfriend had died. Yes, Syuichiroh was gay, Kazuma. It was then that he vowed never to love anyone again.

"Yes, it was an arranged marriage between your parents. But, and Kazuma you need to hear this, Syuichiroh ended up breaking the vow he made to never love again. You should have seen him when you were little. He loved you very much, Kazuma. He would call you the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Syuichiroh is gone. He has been for three years. You've grown up and moved on. Take care of Yuki. She is your mother and your only living parent. I wish you luck, Kazuma."

The tape stopped playing then, having both finished the message and reached its limit.

The boy sat in his apartment, his English book halfway out of his bag, and didn't move. He dropped the book, knowing that he would not be able to do any of his homework after hearing that message. Running on automatic, he eventually heated up some ramen and ate that for his supper. Afterwards, Kazuma went to bed, knowing that he would get yelled at by his teachers for not doing his homework. Maybe, he thought glumly, he could just skip school.

As it ended up, Kazuma did miss school the next day, though the reason was that he had slept through half the day before waking up. He had a bad habit. When he wanted to escape, Kazuma would sleep and sleep for a long time. Once, during one of the many times his parents had been ignoring each other, he'd slept for almost eighteen hours. Neither one of them had noticed.

Later, after the school day was over and his mother had yet to come home, he heard someone knock on the door. Feeling lazy, he just yelled that whoever was out there just come in. He had a feeling that he knew who it was anyways.

Sure enough, it was exactly who he had guessed it would be. Takako really was just too loud, he thought as she rattled on about the day's events.

"Kazu-kun, why weren't you at school today?" She asked. He mumbled an answer in reply. She looked at him, confused. "What did you say?"

"I said, I slept through half the day," he replied.

Takako nodded. The room was silent for a moment before she finally told him that she knew about everything. She revealed that she'd pumped her pops and Uncle Ryoma for all the information she could get.

"Why?" Kazuma asked, annoyed that she had done so. He really didn't feel like the stuff that had happened to his father was any of her business.

"Well, it involves my family to," she pointed out after he voiced his opinion on the matter. "Besides, you're my friend, Kazu-kun, and I could tell that something was wrong with you. I just wanted to understand a little better, that's all. Besides, Kazu-kun, it hurts me when you're not right. I dunno why but when you're sad, I'm sad."

She had stopped now and was looking down at her hands. Kazuma had a look of shock on his face though. He knew she knew exactly why she was when he was sad. But could she really, he thought, the question half formed in his head.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to be happy again, won't I?" He asked, his voice holding a little teasing quality to it.

"Yep," she answered. "Now then, you really should get out of those pjs, Kazu-kun. They stink!" She replied.

-Fin-


End file.
